Cancer treatment center in the works for St. Kitts and Nevis

Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas (right) and Dr. Arthur Porter at a recent public function.

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, AUGUST 4TH 2011 – St. Kitts and Nevis is to have a small cancer treatment center.

This has been disclosed by Dr. Arthur Porter, who told the Communications Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister (CUOPM) that he is developing cancer facilities in St. Kitts and Antigua.

“In St. Kitts, we intend to establish a small cancer center that will be a referral center to what will be the Cancer Center for the Eastern Caribbean which will be located at Mount St. John Hospital in Antigua,” Dr. Porter disclosed.

Dr. Porter, a licensed physician who has been seeing patients already said he has been working with the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis “so we can see government patients as well as private patients at the small facility on St. Kitts when constructed.”

“We will see cancer patients from the region and then the high technology radiation oncology, the radiotherapy and some of the high intensity chemotherapy will be done in Antigua and the patients will come back here to be cared for locally as opposed to having to travel to the United States or the United Kingdom,” said Dr. Porter, who added that similar centers have been established in The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago.

He said the location in St. Kitts has not been decided upon, but construction should start in Antigua by November.